Fresh violence erupted across Mali on Saturday as jihadist fighters and their separatist Tuareg allies launched coordinated attacks on several towns and a prison, raising fresh security concerns in the conflict-hit West African nation.
According to the Malian army, residents and security sources, the attacks began around 5:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) and targeted Gao, Anefis, Aguelhok, Sevare, as well as the Kenieroba prison near the capital, Bamako.
The latest assaults come more than two months after similar attacks by the same armed groups, during which Mali’s defence minister was reportedly killed.
Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), an ethnic Tuareg separatist movement, said fighting was still ongoing in Anefis.
“Several positions have fallen, but fighting is still underway inside the city,” he told AFP.
A resident of Anefis also told AFP that armed groups had entered the town, while government troops continued to resist.
“Armed groups are in the town, but the army is still putting up resistance. The camp has not yet fallen,” the resident said.
Anefis and Aguelhok remain among the few locations where the Malian military still has a presence in the Kidal region, following major offensives in late April that saw separatist forces capture the strategic city of Kidal.
In Gao, residents reported hearing heavy gunfire and loud explosions near an army camp, while in Sevare, security sources said explosions were followed by military aircraft flying over the area.
The Kenieroba prison, which houses suspected jihadists and other inmates, also came under attack.
“We are under our beds, the gunfire continues,” a prisoner told AFP.
The renewed attacks underscore the persistent security challenges facing Mali as armed groups continue to intensify operations across different parts of the country.
